I had a fluffy black feral. It took three months, and lots of treats and tuna, but I finally got her inside. It took another few months until she stopped hiding. She lived the last ten years of her life inside and pampered. Sophie was a lovely cat.
Pamella and everyone who loves cats, please check out Tabby’s Place. https://www.tabbysplace.org. Please Read how Jonathan started it, what they do and how they help ferals, hiv/fiv/aids kitties and abandoned cats all over the world. They are located in Ringoes, NJ, near Princeton and New Hope PA. If you tour, tell them Kathi and Kim sent you. We are major donors. This organization is amazing. We have been connected with them since 2009. This is our legacy.
So nice of you to build her a little cat house! I have two rescues that don’t do well indoors so as an alternative we clipped a large infrared lamp to the back of a chair with a pet bed so they have a warm place to go when it’s cold.
What a beautiful kitty. I too feed a black outdoor cat. I have an enclosed wooden house for him with a self warming pad and and four thick fleece blankets. It sits in my outdoor shed and I leave the door open for him so he can access this. His food and water are also in the shed and he gets hot water in the winter and cool water and food all year round. Very feral, but fat and sleek and once in a while he looks my way when I am lookin out my back kitchen window. He is seven I am guessing but who knows. I call him Marley.
Three feral kittens were born in our Maryland native garden in 2022. Our 20 year old Mally, a beautiful black cat, would be diagnosed with bladder cancer shortly after we first spied the mama and her girls. Mally (short for Malach)died 4 months later. While our hearts were broken, we kept feeding the four. The mama then weaned them and took off. We built a house out of a storage bench, added insulation and pet heat pads. They lived on our front porch. Even trapped and had them spayed and vaccinated. For over a year they lived there but spent more and more time indoors.
Finally in October 2023 we closed the door for good and kept them indoors. It was been a learning experience but we all have come a long way!
It's a good thing to help out these cats. We adopted Ernest T Lubeck, Jazz Cat (it's important to say this with a heavy Eastern European Yiddish accent) from the adjacent back yards of our block where he'd been crying forlornly for some time. We don't think he was feral, just abandoned or lost. He's been a fantastic, if somewhat loony addition to our household.
Animals offer so much comfort when we most need it. As a friendly reminder to outside cat owners, please consider putting a bell on a collar to act as a warning to birds. As you may or may not be aware, millions of birds die each year from cat predation. I enjoy watching cats roam, but I also appreciate my backyard birds.
Just a cautionary note--bells can make predators aware of your cat's presence. I agree that we need to protect the birds, but we have coyotes in our neighborhood who think a kitty is a great meal!
I cared for a semi-feral (abandoned?) young cat through a few months. She lived on my back deck in a little house I fashioned out of the top of one of those covered litter boxes. She hunted birds which was hard for me to witness-- and so I began to feed her. I placed the bowl right outside my sliding glass door where I could set it down without stepping outside--and could also, over time, touch and eventually pet her. One warm day, I had my door open and was astonished to see her step inside. She "cased the joint"--slowly entered and perused every room, lingering for a couple of minutes in each, then returned to the open door. Before stepping outside, she looked at me as though to say: "Nice place you've got here. I'm considering it." A few weeks later she let me know she was comfortable being inside. She has become such a love bug, my cuddle buddy. Now the birds are safe. And she is safe from the coyotes that prowl our neighborhood.
Yes, I suspect she was a "turnout." I'm sure she was fearful of having been abandoned and having to fend for herself, avoid coyotes, etc. Her skittishness seemed feral to me at first. But when I began petting her gingerly, I could tell she liked human touch.
We live just outside Atlanta and have had Coyotes for at least the last 20 years. My cats have always known about them and feared them. Unfortunately, one night last May, they finally got my nearly 15 year old boy. I was heartbroken and only hope it was quick.
I am so sorry about your kitty! Our cat was going outside until the last 3 years, when our condo association cracked down on the rule that "all pets need to be leashed"--amazing at 12 years old he adapted to the leash. And it was probably just a matter of time for him--coyote activity here has increased with frequent sitings of two at a time and night-time howling. Interesting that our condo rules probably saved him...
A very good message for all cat lovers! The Cornell Lab of Ornithology https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/ keeps tabs on the rapid and widespread decline of bird populations (approaching 3 billion).
John, That is why TNVR county programs are important. Trap, neuter, vaccinate and return to where you caught them(also ear tipping). We did that with our three girls. I worked with our County Council President to get one TNVR law passed in our county. Unfortunately unsuccessful because of the bird lobby. But controlling feral populations humanely helps birds. It is not either/or. Eventually we had to bring our ferals in to protect them. We were lucky because they had been around us since they were weeks old. Not all ferals can come in. Killing ferals doesn’t solve the problem of animal/pet dumping by humans or people letting out their pets who are not spayed or neutered. We are the problem not cats.
Beautiful, very lucky cat. We lived in Houston in a ‘hood full of feral cats. We had an indoor cat when early one morning a little gray tabby came meowing across the street when I opened the front door. I fed him for days, finally caught him and had him neutered. He lived outside for several months, with me feeding him, always before the sun came up. When Hurricane Rita followed Katrina, I knew I had to bring my little Dracula cat in. Once again, he was lured into the cage by sardines. I didn’t know how T’Boo (Cajun for little brother) and big ole Tiger would get along, but they were soon doing cat Olympics around the living room at night and cuddling together during the day. Both were the sweetest boys ever. After Ike, they were joined by Bit (an orange sweetie) and then Mini (a feral tortie). Mini is still with us. It took years to gain her trust, as she had been treated badly, but she is now the clear queen of the house. We are so grateful for the love of each of these dear personalities!
She's beautiful!!! We have an 8 month old gorgeous long-haired white male cat with calico markings (though a male, so not a true calico) who adopted us 15 years ago. He is still gorgeous and active, though now he is an indoor cat--interestingly, he adapted to a collar and leash as an adult, as he still likes to go outside.
Their outdoor shelters can be very simple. We have two that visit/reside on our open back porch. Every year I prepare a couple of cardboard liquor boxes with thermostatic heating pads and clean foot pad from a car. It's a rare cat that isn't attracted to a cardboard box. The heating pads turn on with gentle heat at about 40F. I simply tear off one flap of each box and put them on their side under a sturdy wooden bench. This leaves a cat size entrance and provides protection from the wind.
Here in Brooklyn, we have a colony of ferals that survive with the aid of a lovely couple; however, their building refused to allow them to put an inclosure nearby during the really cold weeks—of which we’ve had our share this winter. However, our lovely coop was willing to extend our hospitality to them and a plastic bin with holes, hay and a covering has been installed behind our fence, and they can often be seen hanging out under the nearby dryer vents. Yeah!
I come from a dog-centric background, but we also had a few cats over the years. My daughter and SIL are now serious cat people, and I really enjoy trying to befriend their two cats. My mother founded the Humane Society of N. Iowa, and was known far and wide as
"the dog lady", who drove "the dog mobile", and when I was in HS it was not exactly a good way to woo young ladies. So with these antecedents, it is clear to me that this community has a lot of animal lovers/cat people. All of you would love my Mother, she loved all animals and devoted her life to them, come one, come all. She likely never heard the term "cat people" but she would have been an honorary Cat Person for sure!!!!!
I had a fluffy black feral. It took three months, and lots of treats and tuna, but I finally got her inside. It took another few months until she stopped hiding. She lived the last ten years of her life inside and pampered. Sophie was a lovely cat.
Pamella and everyone who loves cats, please check out Tabby’s Place. https://www.tabbysplace.org. Please Read how Jonathan started it, what they do and how they help ferals, hiv/fiv/aids kitties and abandoned cats all over the world. They are located in Ringoes, NJ, near Princeton and New Hope PA. If you tour, tell them Kathi and Kim sent you. We are major donors. This organization is amazing. We have been connected with them since 2009. This is our legacy.
So nice of you to build her a little cat house! I have two rescues that don’t do well indoors so as an alternative we clipped a large infrared lamp to the back of a chair with a pet bed so they have a warm place to go when it’s cold.
What a beautiful kitty. I too feed a black outdoor cat. I have an enclosed wooden house for him with a self warming pad and and four thick fleece blankets. It sits in my outdoor shed and I leave the door open for him so he can access this. His food and water are also in the shed and he gets hot water in the winter and cool water and food all year round. Very feral, but fat and sleek and once in a while he looks my way when I am lookin out my back kitchen window. He is seven I am guessing but who knows. I call him Marley.
Love the breed description. "Free-spirited feral cat considering domestication" absolutely kills me and what a pretty lady!
From one animal rescuer to another, thank you for helping her.
Three feral kittens were born in our Maryland native garden in 2022. Our 20 year old Mally, a beautiful black cat, would be diagnosed with bladder cancer shortly after we first spied the mama and her girls. Mally (short for Malach)died 4 months later. While our hearts were broken, we kept feeding the four. The mama then weaned them and took off. We built a house out of a storage bench, added insulation and pet heat pads. They lived on our front porch. Even trapped and had them spayed and vaccinated. For over a year they lived there but spent more and more time indoors.
Finally in October 2023 we closed the door for good and kept them indoors. It was been a learning experience but we all have come a long way!
It's a good thing to help out these cats. We adopted Ernest T Lubeck, Jazz Cat (it's important to say this with a heavy Eastern European Yiddish accent) from the adjacent back yards of our block where he'd been crying forlornly for some time. We don't think he was feral, just abandoned or lost. He's been a fantastic, if somewhat loony addition to our household.
Our kitty was a former feral. Took lots of time but he became a house boy!
What a great resume for this "feral" cat. You are a true cat lover.
Animals offer so much comfort when we most need it. As a friendly reminder to outside cat owners, please consider putting a bell on a collar to act as a warning to birds. As you may or may not be aware, millions of birds die each year from cat predation. I enjoy watching cats roam, but I also appreciate my backyard birds.
Just a cautionary note--bells can make predators aware of your cat's presence. I agree that we need to protect the birds, but we have coyotes in our neighborhood who think a kitty is a great meal!
Consider these colorful BirdsBeSafe cat collars as an alternative to bells: https://www.birdsbesafe.com
I cared for a semi-feral (abandoned?) young cat through a few months. She lived on my back deck in a little house I fashioned out of the top of one of those covered litter boxes. She hunted birds which was hard for me to witness-- and so I began to feed her. I placed the bowl right outside my sliding glass door where I could set it down without stepping outside--and could also, over time, touch and eventually pet her. One warm day, I had my door open and was astonished to see her step inside. She "cased the joint"--slowly entered and perused every room, lingering for a couple of minutes in each, then returned to the open door. Before stepping outside, she looked at me as though to say: "Nice place you've got here. I'm considering it." A few weeks later she let me know she was comfortable being inside. She has become such a love bug, my cuddle buddy. Now the birds are safe. And she is safe from the coyotes that prowl our neighborhood.
Thanks for your suggestion. He only goes out with a leash and a human now--but he seems to enjoy it.
Considering her “domestication” she probably was a “turnout.”
Yes, I suspect she was a "turnout." I'm sure she was fearful of having been abandoned and having to fend for herself, avoid coyotes, etc. Her skittishness seemed feral to me at first. But when I began petting her gingerly, I could tell she liked human touch.
We live just outside Atlanta and have had Coyotes for at least the last 20 years. My cats have always known about them and feared them. Unfortunately, one night last May, they finally got my nearly 15 year old boy. I was heartbroken and only hope it was quick.
I am so sorry about your kitty! Our cat was going outside until the last 3 years, when our condo association cracked down on the rule that "all pets need to be leashed"--amazing at 12 years old he adapted to the leash. And it was probably just a matter of time for him--coyote activity here has increased with frequent sitings of two at a time and night-time howling. Interesting that our condo rules probably saved him...
A very good message for all cat lovers! The Cornell Lab of Ornithology https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/ keeps tabs on the rapid and widespread decline of bird populations (approaching 3 billion).
John, That is why TNVR county programs are important. Trap, neuter, vaccinate and return to where you caught them(also ear tipping). We did that with our three girls. I worked with our County Council President to get one TNVR law passed in our county. Unfortunately unsuccessful because of the bird lobby. But controlling feral populations humanely helps birds. It is not either/or. Eventually we had to bring our ferals in to protect them. We were lucky because they had been around us since they were weeks old. Not all ferals can come in. Killing ferals doesn’t solve the problem of animal/pet dumping by humans or people letting out their pets who are not spayed or neutered. We are the problem not cats.
Beautiful, very lucky cat. We lived in Houston in a ‘hood full of feral cats. We had an indoor cat when early one morning a little gray tabby came meowing across the street when I opened the front door. I fed him for days, finally caught him and had him neutered. He lived outside for several months, with me feeding him, always before the sun came up. When Hurricane Rita followed Katrina, I knew I had to bring my little Dracula cat in. Once again, he was lured into the cage by sardines. I didn’t know how T’Boo (Cajun for little brother) and big ole Tiger would get along, but they were soon doing cat Olympics around the living room at night and cuddling together during the day. Both were the sweetest boys ever. After Ike, they were joined by Bit (an orange sweetie) and then Mini (a feral tortie). Mini is still with us. It took years to gain her trust, as she had been treated badly, but she is now the clear queen of the house. We are so grateful for the love of each of these dear personalities!
Veterinarian here, and I love this so much! She is gorgeous, and that house is fabulous!
She's beautiful!!! We have an 8 month old gorgeous long-haired white male cat with calico markings (though a male, so not a true calico) who adopted us 15 years ago. He is still gorgeous and active, though now he is an indoor cat--interestingly, he adapted to a collar and leash as an adult, as he still likes to go outside.
Their outdoor shelters can be very simple. We have two that visit/reside on our open back porch. Every year I prepare a couple of cardboard liquor boxes with thermostatic heating pads and clean foot pad from a car. It's a rare cat that isn't attracted to a cardboard box. The heating pads turn on with gentle heat at about 40F. I simply tear off one flap of each box and put them on their side under a sturdy wooden bench. This leaves a cat size entrance and provides protection from the wind.
Here in Brooklyn, we have a colony of ferals that survive with the aid of a lovely couple; however, their building refused to allow them to put an inclosure nearby during the really cold weeks—of which we’ve had our share this winter. However, our lovely coop was willing to extend our hospitality to them and a plastic bin with holes, hay and a covering has been installed behind our fence, and they can often be seen hanging out under the nearby dryer vents. Yeah!
I hope that you got her spayed and checked for wellness by a vet as well. Feral cats get fleas, ticks, injuries and pregnant.
I come from a dog-centric background, but we also had a few cats over the years. My daughter and SIL are now serious cat people, and I really enjoy trying to befriend their two cats. My mother founded the Humane Society of N. Iowa, and was known far and wide as
"the dog lady", who drove "the dog mobile", and when I was in HS it was not exactly a good way to woo young ladies. So with these antecedents, it is clear to me that this community has a lot of animal lovers/cat people. All of you would love my Mother, she loved all animals and devoted her life to them, come one, come all. She likely never heard the term "cat people" but she would have been an honorary Cat Person for sure!!!!!